French court upholds poisoning case against Monsanto

A French court on Thursday (10 September) upheld a ruling in which US biotech giant Monsanto was found guilty of poisoning a farmer who says he suffered neurological damage after inhaling a weedkiller made by the company.

The plaintiff, cereal farmer Paul François, said the decision proved that “David can win against Goliath… And a giant like Monsanto is not above the law.”

The case, heard by an appeal court in the southeast city of Lyon, is the first of its kind in France.

The court confirmed a 2012 ruling that Monsanto was “responsible” for the intoxication by its Lasso weedkiller and ordered the US giant to fully compensate François.